Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb programmer

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The English translation of the French verb programmer is “to program.” It is pronounced “proh-gram-ay.”

The word “programmer” originated from the French word “programme,” which comes from the Latin word “programma,” meaning “public notice” or “proclamation.” In the 19th century, the term was used in reference to computer programming, and it became widely used in the technology industry.

In everyday French, the verb programmer is most often used in the plus-que-parfait tense, which indicates an action that took place before another past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” conjugated in the imparfait tense and the past participle of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais programmé mon ordinateur avant qu’il tombe en panne.
    I had programmed my computer before it broke down.

  2. Tu avais programmé ta journée, mais elle a été annulée à la dernière minute.
    You had planned your day, but it was canceled last minute.

  3. Ils avaient programmé leur voyage en avance, mais ils ont dû l’annuler à cause du mauvais temps.
    They had planned their trip in advance, but they had to cancel it because of bad weather.

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of programmer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais programmé J’avais programmé l’ordinateur. I had programmed the computer.
tu tu avais programmé Tu avais programmé le logiciel. You had programmed the software.
il il avait programmé Il avait programmé le site web. He had programmed the website.
elle elle avait programmé Elle avait programmé le système. She had programmed the system.
on on avait programmé On avait programmé le programme. One had programmed the program.
nous nous avions programmé Nous avions programmé la base de données. We had programmed the database.
vous vous aviez programmé Vous aviez programmé l’application. You had programmed the application.
ils ils avaient programmé Ils avaient programmé les robots. They had programmed the robots.
elles elles avaient programmé Elles avaient programmé les machines. They had programmed the machines.

Other Conjugations for Programmer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb programmer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer     (this article)

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb programmer

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Programmer – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb programmer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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